Penn Science Policy and Diplomacy Group

Check out our guest blog on ResearchAmerica! blog- http://researchamerica.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/the-science-policy-group-at-the-university-of-pennsylvania/

Michael Allegrezza It’s easy to forget about infectious disease when one has access to quality healthcare that includes vaccines and antibiotics for most major pathogens. But infections still account for 22% of all deaths worldwide. In the developing world, it is far worse. For instance, over half of all deaths in sub-Saharan Africa are from infectious diseases. While many researchers are using science and technology to combat this problem, others have noticed that creating international policies for monitoring and controlling infectious disease would also greatly decrease mortality and minimize global outbreaks.   In June, Dr. Harvey Rubin gave a talk entitled “A Proposal for a Global Governance System for Infectious Diseases” to members of the Penn Science Policy Group. In addition running a research lab, Dr. Rubin has established himself as a critical intellect on the topic of global disease and acts as the Director of Penn's Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis and ...

Whole genome sequencing and the future of medicine: A discussion of policy implications ranging from genome privacy to designer babies. Michael Allegrezza The presidential race of 2016 was tight. That is, until information was leaked that Hillary Clinton has a genetic predisposition to early onset Alzheimer’s disease. How her genetic info was obtained is unknown; her campaign staff followed strict protocols to collect and destroy everything she touched – toothbrushes, bed sheets, cups. It may be that years before she was a candidate, a cunning opponent attended her book signings and patiently preserved the pages she penned until the moment was ripe. But the method and legality of the leak is irrelevant. Unlike in a jury case, one can’t instruct an entire electorate to ignore information that may have been illegally obtained. Thus began a new era of American politics: no longer was it simply video or written evidence of your past that was under scrutiny. Now, the DNA code prophes...

Next Penn Science Group meeting will be on Tuesday, April 30th  from 5:30-7pm in 1412 BRB. Come hear about all the recent advocacy efforts by the Advocacy Subgroup!

Penn Science Policy Group at the Symposium! For this year's Penn Science Research Symposium, the Penn Science Policy group decided to have an active presence at the event. With the help of Sima Patel and Mike Allegrezza, a poster was quickly constructed to highlight the group's activities along with the recent DC Advocacy Day.  Folks like Chris Yarosh (pictured), were generous enough to man the poster during the poster session and field questions. Mike also played a pivotal role in introducing the poster to staffers from Sen. Toomey and Sen. Casey's office. This was done so these staffers would now be aware of the  group's presence on campus and to help set up networking events in the future.  Mike also showcased some of the other posters to the staffers to help demonstrate how NIH dollars are being used for the development of new treatments such diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer. Another highlight of the Symposium was  having House Rep. Chaka Fa...

Check out our group at the Rally for Medical Research! (L-R), Mahlet Abera, Unknown, Mike Askenase, Mat Wimmer, David Reiner, Wade Hayes, Jenessa Smyth, Lindsay Foresee, Mike Convente, Joe Jordan, Chris Yarosh, Erika Hendel, Skye Geherin, Kevin Yu, Serena Dollive, Shaun O'Brien and Julie Crudele The DP has a great recap of the latest Rally for Medical Research Hill Day which occurred in late September. UPenn students and postdocs made the trip down to DC to make the case for biomedical research funding to Congress and their staff. We were joined by other scientists, physicians, patients and patient advocates who helped get the message out that deep arbitrary cuts to basic scientific research funding is a short-sighted and ineffectual solution to the country's fiscal problems. The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Students lobby legislators for science funding PSPG looking snazzy on the bus to DC

Recap of visit with Rep. Charles Dent (R-15 PA) by Jenessa Smith Charles Dent (R) 15 th District PA Congressman The meeting with Representative Dent’s staffer Lauren Kent –Stevens went very well. She was receptive to our messages of urging Rep. Dent to continue his commitment to prioritizing the NIH. She reiterated that Rep. Dent is a member of the appropriation committee that allocates funding for agencies such as the NIH and that although he cannot sign HR1301 to send to himself, he would respond favorably to the measure once it reaches his committee. In addition, Ms. Kent informed us that Rep. Dent co-chairs the House ethics committee, which informs a bipartisan group of representatives about novel and exciting research by inviting scientists and innovators to speak at meetings. Ms. Kent was interested in our research and about the grant finding and application process. Finally, Ms. Kent urged us to reach out to state legislators that do not see the importance of ...